Classicism in the architecture of Western Europe, presentation. Baroque and Classical Architecture in Western Europe

Classicism is a stylistic trend in European art, the most important feature of which was the appeal to ancient art as a standard and reliance on the traditions of the harmonious ideal of the High Renaissance. “…. . Let's leave the Italians the empty tinsel with its false gloss. What matters most is the meaning; but in order to come to it, you will have to overcome obstacles and paths, strictly adhere to the intended path: Sometimes the mind has only one road... “The theorist of early classicism was the poet Nicolas Boileau (1636 -1711) “love thought in poetry,” that is, emotions are subordinate to reason. "Poetic art. » Nicola Boileau

Architecture of classicism - “Strict style” Characteristic features: Appeal to the forms of ancient architecture - the Greek order system, strict symmetry, clear proportionality of parts and their subordination to the general plan. Simplicity and clarity of forms. Calm harmony of proportions. Preference for straight lines. Unobtrusive decor that follows the outline of the object. Simplicity and nobility of finishing. Practicality and expediency. Bolshoi Theater in Warsaw.

XVII century - XVII century France. Urban planning. - creation of a large urban ensemble with development carried out according to a single plan. New cities arise as settlements near the palaces of the rulers of France. - cities are designed in the form of a square or rectangle in plan. Inside them, a strictly regular rectangular or radial ring system of streets with a city square in the center is planned. - old medieval cities are being rebuilt on the basis of new principles of regular planning. - Large palace complexes are being built in Paris - the Luxembourg Palace and the Palais Royal (1624, architect J. Lemercier). Salomon de Bros Luxembourg Palace in Paris 1615 -1621 Jacques Lemercier Palais Royal Paris 1624 -1645

One of the outstanding architectural structures of this time was the residence of the French kings on the outskirts of Paris - the Palace of Versailles. Versailles was built under the leadership of Louis XIV in 1661. France. The main creators were the architects Louis Levo and Jules Hardouin-Mansart, the master of landscape art Andre Le Nôtre (1613 -1700) and the artist Charles Lebrun, who participated in the creation of the interiors of the palace.

Versailles is a village 24 kilometers from Paris. It was originally chosen by King Louis XIII to build a modest hunting castle. The king wanted to indulge here in his favorite passion - hunting. His son, Louis XIV, was also an avid hunter, but he had much more ambitious plans for this place. Dissatisfied with his other palaces (including the Louvre and the Tuileries), in 1660 he decided to rebuild Versailles into a luxurious palace and park ensemble. Everything here had to amaze with its splendor and scale - after all, the king wanted, in the end, the entire royal court to be located here.

Features of the ensemble construction are a strictly ordered centralized system. The ensemble of the royal palace at Versailles was built in several stages, starting from the first half of the 17th century. , and it received its completion in 1679. Three wide straight radial avenues of the city converge on the Palace of Versailles, located on a hill (dominance), forming a trident. The middle trident avenue leads to the center of Paris (Avenue de Paris), the other two lead to the royal palaces of Saint-Cloud (Avenue de Saint-Cloud) and Sceaux (Avenue de Saux), as if connecting the main country residence with the regions of the country.

the plan of Versailles includes an extended main palace; two front yards; one-story Grand Trianon Palace; three avenues radiating from the main palace; alleys; pools; channels; fountains. The center of the entire architectural layout of Versailles is the royal palace.

Interiors of the Grand Palace Mirror Gallery Theater of Versailles Queen's Staircase The premises of the palace were distinguished by luxury and variety of decoration. Expensive finishing materials (mirrors, hammered bronze, precious woods), widespread use of decorative painting and sculpture - all this is designed to create the impression of stunning splendor. In the Mirror Gallery, thousands of candles were lit in shining silver chandeliers and a noisy, colorful crowd of courtiers filled the palace enfilades, reflected in the tall mirrors.

Allegorical compositions on mythological themes glorifying the reign of the “Sun King” Louis XIV Golden lampshade in the mirror gallery. Charles Lebrun.

The King's Bedroom The Queen's Bedroom The King's bedroom is located in the central part of the palace and faces the rising sun with its windows. The balcony overlooked the Park of Versailles.

The Park of Versailles served as a magnificent “stage area” for colorful and magnificent spectacles - fireworks, illuminations, balls, performances, masquerades. From the palace the terraces of the Versailles Park go down and the alleys move away towards the Grand Canal. Fountains, sculptural groups, and relief compositions complete the decoration of the park. Sculptural groups form complex and beautiful combinations with a variety of fountains and pools.

Andre Le Nôtre, from the family of royal gardeners, will forever go down in history as one of the best masters of landscape art. In addition to Versailles, he created, for example, the Tuileries Park in Paris, the gardens of the Chantilly Castle, Marly near London and Vaux-le-Vicomte, which was commissioned by the Minister of Finance Fouquet. Seeing this park, Louis XIV was delighted and offended that his subject had a garden that even the king did not have. Therefore, Fouquet was soon arrested, and Le Nôtre received an order to create a truly royal park, like no other in the world.

“Fountain of Latona” - decorated with sculptures of the goddess Latona with Apollo and Diana, seated on concentrically placed pools in the form of a pyramid.

An example of mature French classicism of the 17th century. is the Louvre - a royal palace in Paris. Stretching 173 m in length, decorated on two floors with a massive colonnade and risalits protruding in the middle and at the corners of the façade in the form of classical porticoes, it gives the impression of power and stern grandeur, expressing the idea of ​​​​the inviolability of law and order.

In the middle of the 18th century. classicism in France is experiencing its rebirth. The surge of increased interest in antiquity is reinforced by the discovery of remarkable monuments of artistic culture during excavations of ancient cities that were once buried during a volcanic eruption. Neoclassicism A prominent representative of his views on classicism found a “new” classicism in architecture is Jacques-Angie's expression in the Petit Trianon - the country palace of the French king in Gabriel. Versailles, which rather resembles a small mansion. Gazebo in Petit Trianon. Tall columns of the Corinthian order, placed on the plinth, unite the two floors. The building has a flat roof ending in a balustrade. Strict harmony and simplicity are combined in it with a feeling of calm dignity.

Place de la Concorde. Jean Ange Gabriel. Place Louis XV 1759 -1779. Paris. New urban planning tasks put forward by time are embodied in Gabriel’s work. The square, rectangular in plan, is connected to the city by the rays of three alleys. It is surrounded on two sides by the green areas of the Tuileries Gardens and the Champs Elysees, and on the third by the river. The ensemble is closed by two buildings, with wings covering the square on the fourth side.

Empire (from the French empire - empire) is a style in architecture and art that completes the evolution of classicism. Empire is a monumental style that developed in France during the heyday of Napoleon's empire (1799 -1815). The main trend of that time was total imitation of the art forms of late Rome. The Empire style is solemn, official, and sometimes theatrical. It manifested itself most clearly in the design of the residences of Napoleon and his retinue, from where it quickly penetrated into the aristocratic environment of France and the courts of the largest European monarchs. Pierre Francois Monard, Charles Percier. Throne room (fragment). 1807. Fontainebleau Castle

Jacob Desmalter. Bedroom of Empress Josephine. 1804. Malmaison Palace by Francois Moens. Napoleon's bedroom / 1808/ Fontainebleau Castle

Austerlitz Bridge. The length of the bridge is 200 m, width - 32 m. Named in honor of the victory won by the army of Napoleon I over Russian and Austrian troops on December 2, 1805 near the village of Austerlitz. The ornaments decorating the bridge are engraved with the names of French military leaders killed at the Battle of Austerlitz. Paris is divided into two parts by the Seine River. 38 bridges are thrown across it, the distance between them is about half a kilometer.

Jules Hardouin-Mansart Place des Invalides in Paris Started in 1684 Place Vendôme 1687 -1720 Jules Hardouin-Mansart, Liberal Bruant Ensemble of the Invalides in Paris Jules Hardouin-Mansart Cathedral of the Invalides 1679 -1706 Question: In residential architecture, the name of Mansart is immortalized by an element he invented. Which one?

In 1630, François Mansart introduced into the practice of building urban housing a high, broken roof shape using an attic for housing. The device, which received the name “attic” after the author’s name.

Homework Ch. 7, creative workshop pr3 p73 Compare the design of the interior decoration (interiors) of the Francisco I gallery in Fontainebleau and the Mirror Gallery of Versailles.

LESSON DEVELOPMENT ON WORLD ARTISTIC CULTURE IN 11TH GRADE

Lesson topic: “Classicism in the architecture of Western Europe”

Lesson type : lesson introduction to new material

Lesson format: travel lesson using computer technology

Target : 1.Create conditions for students to become acquainted with the characteristic features of classicism architecture and form an idea of ​​the ceremonial official architecture of Versailles;
2. Contribute to the development of the ability to independently study the material and prepare it for presentation; continue to develop the ability to analyze a work of art;
3. Promote the cultivation of a culture of perception of works of art.

Equipment: “The Palace of Versailles” - a tour of the museum CD, audio recording of W.A. Mozart “Sonata No. 40”

During the classes

I Organizing time

Smile at each other and give your smiles to me and your friends. Thank you. Your smiles encourage pleasant communication and create a good mood.

II Setting a lesson goal

The ceremonial splendor and “empty tinsel” of the Baroque gave way to classicism - a new artistic style. Having studied ancient art and taking it as a model, the followers of classicism came to the conclusion that the true basis of human life is the mind.
... Let's leave it to the Italians
Empty tinsel with its false gloss.
The most important thing is the meaning, but in order to get to it,
We'll have to overcome obstacles and paths,
Follow the designated path strictly:
Sometimes the mind has only one path...
You need to think about the meaning and only then write!
N. Boileau
This is how one of the ideologists of classicism, poet N. Boileau, taught his contemporaries.
Today we have a travel lesson and we will take a virtual tour of the grandiose palace and park ensemble of Versailles, get acquainted with the ceremonial official architecture and the characteristic features of classicism in architecture.
And today you will all help me, as you prepared a short message for the lesson.
III Learning new material

Write down the topic of the lesson.
Classicism manifested itself most clearly in works of architecture.

Classicism (Latin Classicus - exemplary) is an artistic style and aesthetic direction in European art of the 17th-19th centuries.

What patterns do you think this style followed?

Classicism was guided by the best achievements of ancient culture - the Greek order system, standards of harmony, simplicity, rigor, logical clarity and monumentality. Based on the ideas of Renaissance architects about the “ideal city,” the architects created a new type of palace and park ensemble, strictly subordinated to a geometric plan.
Characteristic of classicism compositions, restraint of decorative decoration, regular planning system and clarity of volumetric form.
Classicism is based on the ideas of rationalism and strict canons.

in architecture - an element of division of the ceiling or the inner surface of the vault.
The characteristic features of classicism can be seen most clearly in the example of an architectural structure - the Palace of Versailles.
Now we will go on a virtual journey and at the end of the journey we will have to answer the question: Why can Versailles be considered an outstanding work of classicism?
Let's first turn to the history of the creation and architectural appearance of the Palace of Versailles

Fast forward a century -
During the construction of the palace,
When the court carriages
Fans flocked here.

Versailles, there was a village,
There are swamps and fields all around,
Louis bought all his possessions,
So that there would be a king's castle here.

The history of the Palace of Versailles begins in 1623 with a very modest hunting castle of Louis XIII. The “Sun King”, Louis XIV, spent his childhood in this castle. He fell in love with this place and dreamed of building something bigger that would amaze Europe. Having ascended the throne, he begins the construction of a royal residence. On May 6, 1682, the king solemnly entered Versailles, and from this day the history of the world-famous Palace of Versailles begins.
The architects Louis Levo, Jules-Hardouin Mansart and Andre Le Nôtre participated in the creation of the architectural appearance of Versailles. Over the course of a number of years, the building was rebuilt and changed a lot in its architecture. The entire huge complex was created according to a single project. The ensemble develops along the main axis stretching from east to west
The main entrance to the palace is through gilded gates decorated with the royal coat of arms and crown. On the square in front of the palace there is an equestrian statue of Louis XIV.
According to legend, when Louis was 5 years old, he was walking through the garden and, looking into a puddle in which the sun was reflected, he shouted: “I am the sun!” Since then he has been called the “Sun King”
The main building of Versailles is the palace, to which three converging access avenues lead. The palace is located on a certain hill and occupies a dominant position over the area. The length of the facade reaches 570 m and is divided into a central part and two side wings. The facade is represented by three floors. The first floor serves as a massive base, decorated with rustication on the model of Italian palazzo palaces of the Renaissance. The second floor is the largest. It is filled with high arched windows, between which there are Ionic columns and pilasters. The upper tier is shortened and ends with sculptural groups, giving the building a special elegance and lightness of proportions. The rhythm of windows, pilasters and columns on the facade emphasizes its classical severity and destroys the monotony of the external decoration.
The palace has several entrances. The central building contains halls for balls, receptions and the personal bedrooms of the king and queen. In the southern wing of the palace there were courtiers, ministers, guests, and the chambers of the first ladies, and in the northern wing there were royal apartments, where each room was dedicated to various deities, whose names were allegorically associated with members of the royal family.
Decoration of the interior of the halls
Lebrun did a great job,
Sketches with wood, metal
Have the highest level

The interiors of the palace are decorated in Baroque style: many mirrors and exquisite furniture are used. Picturesque panels and tapestries on mythological themes glorify the king. Massive bronze chandeliers with gilding complete the impression of wealth and luxury. Just imagine: 700 rooms, 350 fireplaces, 70 staircases and more than 2000 windows, and the number of paintings, engravings and furniture is measured in tens of thousands. The largest hall of the palace is occupied by the Mirror Gallery.

Facade of the Mirror Gallery -
An abundance of gold, glass,
The hall exudes exclusivity
In the parade march of crystal.

The huge hall is 73 m long, about 11 m wide and about 13 m high (slide 5). The gallery space is illusively expanded by mirrors (there are 357 of them). Mirrors are located in niches opposite 17 windows and create a feeling of limitlessness. It seems that the walls are disappearing somewhere. The gaze jumps from the giant windows to the mirrors, which reflect the water surface of the pools, the various colors of flowers and the blue of the sky. In the evening. On the days of palace balls and audiences, the light of 3 thousand candles reflected the panels in the mirrors. The play of glare, the rays of the sun reflected in the mirrors blinded the eye and amazed the imagination. The gallery was decorated with all kinds of vases in bronze frames, silver floor lamps and candelabra. The paintings of the ceiling lamp, made by Lebrun, exalted the deeds of Louis XIV. The gallery was decorated with dozens of crystal chandeliers and flowerpots with aelsin trees. All the furniture in the hall, including plant pots and statues, were cast from silver, but in 1690 they were melted down into coins.
Through the Mirror Gallery, along the embassy staircase leading to the second floor, we find ourselves in the Salon of Hercules, where lavish receptions were held. The salon is richly decorated with marble and gilded bronze. Huge paintings on the ceiling-plafonds, made by François Lemonnier, depict the exploits of Hercules. The Hall of Hercules smoothly transitions into the Large Royal Chambers, consisting of several salons: the Hall of Venus, the Hall of Diana, the Hall of Apollo, the Hall of War, and the Bull's Eye Salon.
Queen's bedroom. The first thing that attracts attention is the size of the queen bed. It is huge, filling the entire bedroom. All surfaces in the bedchamber are covered with gold, indicating the status of the owner.
The king's bedroom (Mercury Hall) is located in the central part of the palace and faces the rising sun. The main piece of furniture was the bed. The ceremonial bed under an embroidered canopy is separated from the rest of the chambers by a low fence. From the bedroom there was a view of three highways converging at one point, which symbolized the main concentration of power. From the balcony, the king could see all the beauty of Versailles Park.

Park with a regular layout
Andre Le Nôtre realized,
With extraordinary dexterity
The lawns were broken into a line.

Baskets with a proper fit,
Bushes trimmed in a row
A world of primordial order,
Where style and harmony triumph.

Versailles is famous not only for its luxurious palace, but also for its park, which is considered one of the largest in Europe. Its main creator, Andre Le Nôtre, combined elements of architecture and landscape art. Versailles Park is a regular park, i.e. planned according to geometric calculations. The entire structure of the park is subject to strict symmetry: bright flower beds are made in the form of geometric patterns, perfectly even alleys of trees stretch along a straight axis, and the pools have the correct shape.
The park's alleys, swimming pools, flower beds and lawns are perceived as an extension of the palace halls and have a clear geometric shape. Le Nôtre was the first to create a layout of alleys radiating from the center like the rays of the sun. He skillfully combined straight and curved lines, various proportions and optical illusions. Trees and shrubs took regular conical, spherical or pyramidal shapes. Rare plants were imported from Normandy and Flanders. Deciduous species used: oak, linden, ash, beech, maple, poplar, hornbeam, chestnut, and coniferous species - yew and spruce. There was a place for fruit trees - apple trees, pears, cherries. A special feature of the park are the numerous bosquets - artificial groves, in different corners of which there were fountains, swimming pools, grottoes, and gardens. One of the most beautiful is the “Ballroom Dance” bosquet, where feasts and open-air dancing took place. Behind the trees, a space opens up in the form of an amphitheater with ledges made of trimmed bushes. The steps of the amphitheater are decorated with sea shells and stone, decorated with gilded vases and candelabra. Cascades of water flow down the steps. The area and background of flower beds in bosquets were sprinkled with colored sand or lined with porcelain with an elegant design instead of fresh flowers.
The smooth carpets of lawns amaze with bright and variegated colors with intricate patterns of flowers. The vases (150 thousand) contained fresh flowers, which were changed so that Versailles was in constant bloom at any time of the year. All this splendor was complemented by the smells of almond, jasmine, pomegranate and lemon, spreading from the greenhouses. On the south side, along the “100 steps” staircase you can go down to the greenhouse, where in the summer hundreds of exotic plants in tubs are displayed outside. Built by Jules Hardouin Mansart, the greenhouse includes a covered central gallery and a summer gallery with flower beds with a round pond in the center.
The main axis of the park, the Grand Canal, is oriented to the west, so that in the evening the setting sun, reflected in the canal, turns it into a luminous axis of the park, going straight into the horizon. The Grand Canal is 1670 meters long and 62 meters wide. Its splendor epitomized French naval supremacy. Marine performances with many sea and river vessels were held here, and in winter it became an ice skating rink.
The pride of the park is its fountains, the number of which reaches 2000.
Latona Fountain – sculptors br. Marcy was created based on the ancient Greek myth about the love of Jupiter and Latona, who became the mother of his children - the god of beauty Apollo and the goddess of hunting Diana. When Latona and her children were attacked by people, Jupiter, heeding Latona’s pleas for protection, Jupiter turned the people into frogs. This episode of the myth is reflected in the sculpture of the fountain. In the center of the upper platform there are statues of Latona and her children, and at the edges of the lower platform there are figures of people turned into frogs and sea turtles, from whose mouths jets of water emerge. One of the most beautiful is the Apollo fountain - sculptor J.-B. Tube. From the surface of the water emerges a chariot drawn by four horses, ruled by Apollo, and tritons blow their shells, signaling the approach of the god. The sculptural group is cast from lead and covered with gold.
The Park of Versailles is full of sculpture. Most of the sculptures are characters from ancient Greek and Roman mythology, which were specially chosen to glorify the power of the king.
The Trianons represent a separate group of buildings with their own gardens. Trianon was the name of the village that Louis XIV acquired with the intention of building a pavilion for light meals.
The Grand Trianon is a one-story palace made of pink marble, built by Louis XIV for his beloved Madame de Montenon. The octagonal Belvedere rose above the lake. Its façade is decorated with luxurious reliefs. The floor is covered with marble chips, the walls are decorated with elegant ornaments. Here the monarch loved to spend his free time.
The Small Trianon is a three-story building, the facade is decorated with elements of Greek architecture. The most interesting place in the garden of the Petit Trianon is Marie Antoinette's farm, which consists of 12 houses: a tower, a mill, a dovecote, a chicken coop, a kennel, a fishing workshop, a hut and courtyards for keeping ostriches, elephants, and gazelles. The main building is the Queen's house under a tiled roof on the shore of a pond into which a babbling brook flows, spanned by a charming bridge. White swans swim gracefully. Peasant girls had to rinse clothes and sing. Cows and pigs were washed daily and colored bows were tied to them. There were vegetable gardens where artichokes, savoy and cauliflower grew. The gardens are surrounded by hedges of hornbeam and chestnut trees. The walls of the buildings are covered with creeping plants. The fences of stairs, galleries and balconies were decorated with ceramic pots with geraniums, hyacinths and other flowers.
Versailles, what an embodiment!
In the grounds of lace gardens,
Became a real necklace
Those who have received glory and love.

IV Primary consolidation

Our walk through Versailles has ended.
1) Why can Versailles be considered an outstanding work of classicism?
What are the main features of classicism?
What, in your opinion, distinguishes the buildings of classicism from the Baroque and Renaissance styles?
2) Work in pairs
Let's look at the paintings of the Russian artist A.N. Benois from the Versailles cycle. The King's Walk.
- How did Benoit convey the atmosphere of the court life of King Louis XIV in his paintings?
- Why can they be considered as symbolic paintings?

VLesson summary
Summing up the lesson, assessments
Was it interesting for you and that you learned something new for yourself, were you surprised by something?

VI.House. Exercise : 7.1, message “The history of one masterpiece (using the example of architectural monuments of Moscow and St. Petersburg)
In conclusion, let's take another look at the beauty of Versailles.
VII Reflection.

Suitcase. Continue the sentence. When leaving this lesson I will take with me...

The lesson is over.

Queen's House - Queen's House, 1616-1636) in Greenwich. Architect Inigo Jones

The time has come, and the high mysticism of Gothic, having gone through the trials of the Renaissance, gives way to new ideas based on the traditions of ancient democracies. The desire for imperial greatness and democratic ideals was transformed into a retrospection of imitation of the ancients - this is how classicism appeared in Europe.

At the beginning of the 17th century, many European countries became trading empires, a middle class emerged, and democratic transformations took place. Religion was increasingly subordinated to secular power. There were many gods again, and the ancient hierarchy of divine and worldly power came in handy. Undoubtedly, this could not but affect trends in architecture.

In the 17th century in France and England, a new style arose almost independently - classicism. Just like the contemporary Baroque, it became a natural result of the development of Renaissance architecture and its transformation in different cultural, historical and geographical conditions.

Classicism(French classicisme, from Latin classicus - exemplary) - artistic style and aesthetic direction in European art of the late 17th - early 19th centuries.

Classicism is based on ideas rationalism emanating from philosophy Descartes. A work of art, from the point of view of classicism, should be built on the basis of strict canons, thereby revealing the harmony and logic of the universe itself. Of interest to classicism is only the eternal, the unchangeable - in each phenomenon it strives to recognize only essential, typological features, discarding random individual characteristics. The aesthetics of classicism attaches great importance to the social and educational function of art. Classicism takes many rules and canons from ancient art (Aristotle, Plato, Horace...).

Baroque was closely associated with the Catholic Church. Classicism, or the restrained forms of the Baroque, proved more acceptable in Protestant countries such as England, the Netherlands, Northern Germany, and also in Catholic France, where the king was much more important than the Pope. The possessions of an ideal king should have ideal architecture, emphasizing the true greatness of the monarch and his real power. “France is I,” proclaimed Louis XIV.

In architecture, classicism is understood as an architectural style common in Europe in the 18th - early 19th centuries, the main feature of which was an appeal to the forms of ancient architecture as a standard of harmony, simplicity, rigor, logical clarity, monumentality and reasonableness of filling space. The architecture of classicism as a whole is characterized by regularity of layout and clarity of volumetric form. The basis of the architectural language of classicism was the order, in proportions and forms close to antiquity, symmetrical axial compositions, restraint of decorative decoration, and a regular system of city planning.

Usually divided two periods in the development of classicism. Classicism developed in the 17th century in France, reflecting the rise of absolutism. The 18th century is considered a new stage in its development, since at that time it reflected other civic ideals based on the ideas of the philosophical rationalism of the Enlightenment. What unites both periods is the idea of ​​a reasonable pattern of the world, of a beautiful, ennobled nature, the desire to express great social content, sublime heroic and moral ideals.

The architecture of classicism is characterized by rigor of form, clarity of spatial design, geometric interiors, softness of colors and laconicism of external and internal decoration of buildings. Unlike Baroque buildings, the masters of classicism never created spatial illusions that distorted the proportions of the building. And in park architecture the so-called regular style, where all lawns and flower beds have the correct shape, and green spaces are placed strictly in a straight line and carefully trimmed. ( Garden and park ensemble of Versailles)

Classicism is characteristic of the 17th century. for countries in which there was an active process of formation of national states and the strength of capitalist development was growing (Holland, England, France). Classicism in these countries carried new features of the ideology of the rising bourgeoisie, fighting for a stable market and expanding the productive forces, interested in centralization and national unification of states. Being an opponent of class inequalities that infringed on the interests of the bourgeoisie, its ideologists put forward the theory of a rationally organized state based on the subordination of the interests of classes. The recognition of reason as the basis for the organization of state and social life is supported by the arguments of scientific progress, which the bourgeoisie promotes by all means. This rationalistic approach to assessing reality was transferred to the field of art, where the ideal of citizenship and the triumph of reason over elemental forces became an important theme. Religious ideology is increasingly subordinate to secular power, and in a number of countries it is being reformed. The adherents of classicism saw an example of a harmonious social order in the ancient world, and therefore, to express their socio-ethical and aesthetic ideals, they turned to examples of ancient classics (hence the term classicism). Developing traditions Renaissance, classicism took a lot from the heritage baroque.

Architectural classicism of the 17th century developed in two main directions:

• the first was based on the development of the traditions of the late Renaissance classical school (England, Holland);
• the second - reviving classical traditions, developed the Roman Baroque traditions (France) to a greater extent.

English classicism

The creative and theoretical heritage of Palladio, who revived the ancient heritage in all its breadth and tectonic integrity, especially appealed to the classicists. It had a great impact on the architecture of those countries that took the path earlier than others architectural rationalism. Already from the first half of the 17th century. in the architecture of England and Holland, which were relatively weakly influenced by the Baroque, new features were determined under the influence Palladian classicism. The English architect played a particularly important role in the development of the new style. Inigo Jones (Inigo Jones) (1573-1652) - the first bright creative individual and the first truly new phenomenon in English architecture of the 17th century. He owns the most outstanding works of English classicism of the 17th century.

In 1613 Jones went to Italy. Along the way he visited France, where he was able to see many of the most significant buildings. This trip, apparently, became a decisive impetus in the movement of the architect Jones in the direction indicated by Palladio. It was to this time that his notes on the margins of Palladio’s treatise and in the album date back.

It is characteristic that the only general judgment about architecture among them is devoted to a reasoned criticism of certain trends in the late Renaissance architecture of Italy: Jones reproaches Michelangelo and his followers that they initiated the excessive use of complex decoration, and argues that monumental architecture, c. unlike scenography and short-lived light buildings, it must be serious, free from affectation and based on rules.

In 1615, Jones returned to his homeland. He is appointed inspector general of the Ministry of Royal Works. Next year he begins to build one of his best works Queen's House - Queen's House, 1616-1636) in Greenwich.

In the Queens House, the architect consistently develops the Palladian principles of clarity and classical clarity of order divisions, visible constructiveness of forms, balance of proportional structure. The general combinations and individual forms of the building are classically geometric and rational. The composition is dominated by a calm, metrically dissected wall, built in accordance with an order commensurate with the scale of a person. Balance and harmony reign in everything. The plan shows the same clarity of division of the interior into simple, balanced spaces.

This was Jones's first building that has come down to us, which had no precedents in its severity and naked simplicity, and also contrasted sharply with previous buildings. However, the building should not (as is often done) be assessed by its current condition. At the whim of the customer (Queen Anne, wife of James I Stuart), the house was built directly on the old Dover Road (its position is now marked by long colonnades adjacent to the building on both sides) and originally consisted of two buildings separated by the road, connected over it by a covered bridge. The complexity of the composition once gave the building a more picturesque, “English” character, emphasized by the vertical stacks of chimneys arranged in traditional clusters. After the death of the master, in 1662, the gap between the buildings was built up. This is how the resulting volume was square in plan, compact and dry in architecture, with a loggia decorated with columns on the Greenwich Hill side, with a terrace and staircase leading to a two-story hall on the Thames side.

All this hardly justifies the far-reaching comparisons between the Queenhouse and the square, centric villa at Poggio a Caiano near Florence, built by Giuliano da Sangallo the Elder, although the similarities in the drawing of the final plan are undeniable. Jones himself mentions only the Villa Molini, built by Scamozzi near Padua, as the prototype of the façade on the river side. The proportions - the equality of the width of the risalits and the loggia, the greater height of the second floor compared to the first, rustication without breaking into individual stones, a balustrade over the cornice and a curvilinear double staircase at the entrance - are not in the character of Palladio, and are slightly reminiscent of Italian mannerism, and at the same time rationally ordered compositions of classicism.

Famous Banqueting House in London (Banqueting House - Banquet Hall, 1619-1622) in appearance it is much closer to the Palladian prototypes. Due to its noble solemnity and consistent order structure throughout the entire composition, it had no predecessors in England. At the same time, in terms of its social content, this is an original type of structure, passing through English architecture since the 11th century. Behind the two-tiered order façade (at the bottom - Ionic, at the top - composite) there is a single two-light hall, along the perimeter of which there is a balcony, which provides a logical connection between the exterior and the interior. Despite all the similarity to the Palladian facades, there are significant differences here: both tiers are the same in height, which is never found in the Vincentian master, and the large glazing area with small recessed windows (an echo of local half-timbered construction) deprives the wall of the plasticity characteristic of the Italian prototypes, giving it a clearly national look. English features. The luxurious ceiling of the hall, with deep coffers ( later painted by Rubens), differs significantly from the flat ceilings of English palaces of that time, decorated with light reliefs of decorative panels.

With name Inigo Jones, a member of the Royal Building Commission since 1618, is associated with the most important urban planning event for the 17th century - laying out of the first London square created according to a regular plan. Already its common name is Piazza Covent Garden- speaks about the Italian origins of the idea. Placed along the axis of the western side of the square, the Church of St. Paul (1631), with its high pediment and two-columned Tuscan portico in the antes, is an obvious, naive in its literalness, imitation of the Etruscan temple in the image of Serlio. Open arcades in the first floors of the three-story buildings that framed the square from the north and south are presumably echoes of the square in Livorno. But at the same time, the homogeneous, classicist design of the urban space could have been inspired by the Parisian Place des Vosges, built just thirty years earlier.

St. Paul's Cathedral on the square Covent Garden (Covent Garden), the first temple built line by line in London after the Reformation, reflects in its simplicity not only the desire of the customer, the Duke of Bedford, to fulfill cheaply his obligations to the members of his parish, but also the essential requirements of the Protestant religion. Jones promised the customer to build “the most beautiful barn in England.” Nevertheless, the facade of the church, restored after the fire of 1795, is large-scale, majestic despite its small size, and its simplicity undoubtedly has a special charm. It is curious that the high doorway under the portico is false, since on this side of the church there is an altar

The Jones ensemble, unfortunately, has been completely lost, the space of the square has been built up, the buildings have been destroyed, only the building erected later, in 1878, in the northwestern corner allows us to judge the scale and nature of the original plan.

If Jones's first works suffer from a dry rigorism, then his later, estate buildings are less constrained by the ties of classical formalism. With their freedom and plasticity, they partly anticipate the English Palladianism of the 18th century. This is, for example, Wilton House (Wilton House, Wiltshire), burned down in 1647 and rebuilt John Webb, Jones's longtime assistant.

I. Jones’s ideas were continued in subsequent projects, of which the architect’s London reconstruction project should be highlighted Christopher Wren (Christopher Wren) (1632-1723) being the first grandiose reconstruction project of a medieval city after Rome (1666), which was almost two centuries ahead of the grandiose reconstruction of Paris. The plan was not implemented, but the architect contributed to the general process of the emergence and construction of individual nodes of the city, completing, in particular, the ensemble conceived by Inigo Jones hospital in greenwich(1698-1729). Ren's other major building is cathedral of st. Paul's in London- London Cathedral of the Church of England. Cathedral of St. Pavel is the main urban development focus in the area of ​​the reconstructed City. Since the consecration of the first Bishop of London, St. Augustine (604), according to sources, several Christian churches were erected on this site. The immediate predecessor of the current cathedral, the old cathedral of St. St. Paul's, consecrated in 1240, was 175 m long, 7 m longer than Winchester Cathedral. In 1633–1642 Inigo Jones carried out extensive renovations to the old cathedral and added a west façade in classical Palladian style. However, this old cathedral was completely destroyed during the Great Fire of London in 1666. The present building was built by Christopher Wren in 1675-1710; The first service took place in the unfinished church in December 1697.

From an architectural point of view, the Cathedral of St. Paul's is one of the largest domed buildings in the Christian world, standing on a par with the Florence Cathedral, the Cathedrals of St. Sophia in Constantinople and St. Peter's in Rome. The cathedral has the shape of a Latin cross, its length is 157 m, width 31 m; transept length 75 m; total area 155,000 sq. m. In the middle cross at a height of 30 m, the foundation of a dome with a diameter of 34 m was laid, which rises to 111 m. When designing the dome, Ren used a unique solution. Directly above the middle cross, he erected the first dome in brick with a 6-meter round hole at the top (oculus), completely commensurate with the proportions of the interior. Above the first dome, the architect built a brick cone that serves as a support for a massive stone lantern, the weight of which reaches 700 tons, and above the cone is a second dome covered with lead sheets on a wooden frame, proportionally correlated with the external volumes of the building. An iron chain is placed at the base of the cone, which takes on the lateral thrust. A slightly pointed dome, supported by a massive circular colonnade, dominates the appearance of the cathedral.

The interior is mainly finished with marble cladding, and since there is little color, it looks austere. Along the walls there are numerous tombs of famous generals and naval commanders. The glass mosaics of the vaults and walls of the choir were completed in 1897.

Huge scope for construction activities opened up after the fire of London in 1666. The architect presented his city ​​reconstruction plan and received an order to restore 52 parish churches. Ren proposed various spatial solutions; some buildings are built with truly baroque pomp (for example, St. Stephen's Church in Walbrook). Their spiers along with the towers of St. Paul form a spectacular panorama of the city. Among these are the churches of Christ in Newgate Street, St. Bride's in Fleet Street, St. James's in Garlick Hill and St. Vedast in Foster Lane. If special circumstances required it, as in the construction of St Mary Aldermary or Christ Church College in Oxford (Tom's Tower), Wren could use late Gothic elements, although, in his own words, he did not like to “deviate from the best style”.

In addition to the construction of churches, Ren carried out private orders, one of which was the creation of a new library Trinity College(1676–1684) in Cambridge. In 1669 he was appointed chief warden of the royal buildings. In this position he received a number of important government contracts, such as the construction of hospitals in the Chelsea and Greenwich areas ( Greenwich Hospital) and several buildings included in Kensington Palace complexes And Hampton Court Palace.

During his long life, Wren was in the service of five successive kings on the English throne and left his position only in 1718. Wren died at Hampton Court on February 26, 1723 and was buried in St. John's Cathedral. Pavel. His ideas were picked up and developed by the next generation of architects, in particular N. Hawksmore and J. Gibbs. He had a significant influence on the development of church architecture in Europe and the USA.

Among the English nobility, a real fashion arose for Palladian mansions, which coincided with the philosophy of the early Enlightenment in England, which preached the ideals of rationality and orderliness, most fully expressed in ancient art.

Palladian English villa was a compact volume, most often three-story. The first one was rusticated, the main one was the front floor, there was a second floor, it was combined on the facade with a large order with the third - the residential floor. The simplicity and clarity of Palladian buildings, the ease of reproducing their forms, made similar ones very common both in suburban private architecture and in the architecture of urban public and residential buildings.

The English Palladians made a great contribution to the development of park art. In place of fashionable, geometrically correct " regular"The gardens have arrived" landscape parks, later called “English”. Picturesque groves with foliage of different shades alternate with lawns, natural ponds, and islands. The paths of the parks do not provide an open perspective, and behind each bend they prepare an unexpected view. Statues, gazebos, and ruins hide in the shade of trees. Their main creator in the first half of the 18th century was William Kent

Landscape or landscape parks were perceived as the beauty of natural nature intelligently corrected, but the corrections did not have to be noticeable.

French classicism

Classicism in France was formed in more complex and contradictory conditions, local traditions and the influence of the Baroque had a stronger impact. The emergence of French classicism in the first half of the 17th century. took place against the backdrop of a peculiar refraction in architecture of Renaissance forms, late Gothic traditions and techniques borrowed from the emerging Italian Baroque. This process was accompanied by typological changes: a shift in emphasis from the non-urban castle construction of the feudal nobility to the urban and suburban construction of housing for the official nobility.

The basic principles and ideals of classicism were laid in France. We can say that everything started from the words of two famous people, the Sun King (i.e. Louis XIV), who said “ The state is me!” and the famous philosopher Rene Descartes, who said: “ I think, therefore I exist"(in addition and counterbalance to Plato's saying - " I exist therefore I think"). It is in these phrases that the main ideas of classicism lie: loyalty to the king, i.e. to the fatherland, and the triumph of reason over feeling.

The new philosophy demanded its expression not only in the mouth of the monarch and philosophical works, but also in art accessible to society. Heroic images were needed, aimed at instilling patriotism and rationality in the thinking of citizens. Thus began the reform of all facets of culture. Architecture created strictly symmetrical forms, subjugating not only space, but also nature itself, trying to get at least a little closer to the created Claude Ledoux utopian ideal city of the future. Which, by the way, remained exclusively in the architect’s drawings (it is worth noting that the project was so significant that its motifs are still used in various movements of architecture).

The most prominent figure in the architecture of early French classicism was Nicolas Francois Mansart(Nicolas François Mansart) (1598-1666) - one of the founders of French classicism. His merit, in addition to the direct construction of buildings, is the development of a new type of urban dwelling for the nobility - a “hotel” - with a cozy and comfortable layout, including a vestibule, a main staircase, and a number of enfiladed rooms, often enclosed around a courtyard. The Gothic-style vertical sections of the facades have large rectangular windows, a clear division into floors and rich order plasticity. A special feature of the Mansar hotels are the high roofs, under which additional living space was located - the attic, named after its creator. An excellent example of such a roof is a palace Maison-Laffite(Maisons-Laffitte, 1642–1651). Mansar's other works include: Hotel de Toulouse, Hotel Mazarin and Paris Cathedral Val de Grace(Val-de-Grace), completed according to his design Lemerce And Le Muet.

The heyday of the first period of classicism dates back to the second half of the 17th century. The concepts of philosophical rationalism and classicism put forward by bourgeois ideology represented by absolutism Louis XIV takes as official state doctrine. These concepts are completely subordinate to the will of the king and serve as a means of glorifying him as the highest personification of the nation, united on the principles of reasonable autocracy. In architecture, this has a twofold expression: on the one hand, the desire for rational order compositions, tectonically clear and monumental, freed from the fractional “multi-obscurity” of the previous period; on the other hand, an ever-increasing tendency towards a single volitional principle in the composition, towards the dominance of an axis that subordinates the building and adjacent spaces, to the subordination to the will of man not only of the principles of organizing urban spaces, but also of nature itself, transformed according to the laws of reason, geometry, “ideal” beauty . Both trends are illustrated by two major events in the architectural life of France in the second half of the 17th century: the first - the design and construction of the eastern facade of the royal palace in Paris - Louvre (Louvre); the second - the creation of a new residence of Louis XIV, the most grandiose architectural and landscape ensemble in Versailles.

The eastern façade of the Louvre was created as a result of a comparison of two projects - one that came to Paris from Italy Lorenzo Bernini(Gian Lorenzo Bernini) (1598-1680) and Frenchman Claude Perrault(Claude Perrault) (1613-1688). Preference was given to Perrault's project (implemented in 1667), where, in contrast to the baroque restlessness and tectonic duality of Bernini's project, the extended façade (length 170.5 m) has a clear order structure with a huge two-story gallery, interrupted in the center and on the sides by symmetrical risalits . The paired columns of the Corinthian order (height 12.32 meters) carry a large, classically designed entablature, completed with an attic and balustrade. The base is interpreted in the form of a smooth basement floor, the design of which, as in the elements of the order, emphasizes the structural functions of the main load-bearing support of the building. A clear, rhythmic and proportional structure is based on simple relationships and modularity, and the lower diameter of the columns is taken as the initial value (module), as in the classical canons. The height dimensions of the building (27.7 meters) and the overall large scale of the composition, designed to create a front square in front of the facade, give the building the majesty and representativeness necessary for a royal palace. At the same time, the entire structure of the composition is distinguished by architectural logic, geometricity, and artistic rationalism.

Ensemble of Versailles(Château de Versailles, 1661-1708) - the pinnacle of architectural activity of the time of Louis XIV. The desire to combine the attractive aspects of city life and life in the lap of nature led to the creation of a grandiose complex, including a royal palace with buildings for the royal family and government, a huge park and a city adjacent to the palace. The palace is a focal point in which the axis of the park converges - on one side, and on the other - three rays of the city's highways, of which the central one serves as the road connecting Versailles with the Louvre. The palace, the length of which from the side of the park is more than half a kilometer (580 m), with its middle part is sharply pushed forward, and in height it has a clear division into the basement part, the main floor and the attic. Against the background of order pilasters, Ionic porticos play the role of rhythmic accents that unite the facades into a coherent axial composition.

The axis of the palace serves as the main disciplinary factor in the transformation of the landscape. Symbolizing the boundless will of the reigning owner of the country, it subjugates elements of geometric nature, alternating in strict order with architectural elements for park purposes: stairs, pools, fountains, and various small architectural forms.

The principle of axial space inherent in Baroque and Ancient Rome is realized here in the grandiose axial perspective of green parterres and alleys descending in terraces, leading the observer’s gaze deeper into the canal located in the distance, cruciform in plan, and further to infinity. Bushes and trees trimmed in the shape of pyramids emphasized the linear depth and artificiality of the created landscape, turning into natural only beyond the border of the main perspective.

Idea " transformed nature" corresponded to the new way of life of the monarch and the nobility. It also led to new urban planning plans - a departure from the chaotic medieval city, and ultimately to a decisive transformation of the city based on the principles of regularity and the introduction of landscape elements into it. The consequence was the spread of the principles and techniques developed in the planning of Versailles to the reconstruction of cities, especially Paris.

André Le Nôtre(André Le Nôtre) (1613-1700) - creator of the garden and park ensemble Versailles- came up with the idea of ​​regulating the layout of the central area of ​​Paris, adjacent to the Louvre and Tuileries palaces from the west and east. Louvre - Tuileries axis, coinciding with the direction of the road to Versailles, determined the meaning of the famous “ Parisian diameter", which later became the main thoroughfare of the capital. The Tuileries Garden and part of the avenue - the avenues of the Champs Elysees - were laid out on this axis. In the second half of the 18th century, the Place de la Concorde was created, uniting the Tuileries with the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, and in the first half of the 19th century. The monumental Arch of the Star, placed at the end of the Champs Elysees in the center of the round square, completed the formation of the ensemble, the length of which is about 3 km. Author Palace of Versailles Jules Hardouin-Mansart(Jules Hardouin-Mansart) (1646-1708) also created a number of outstanding ensembles in Paris at the end of the 17th and beginning of the 18th centuries. These include round Victory Square(Place des Victoires), rectangular Place Vendôme(Place Vendome), complex of the Invalides hospital with a domed cathedral. French classicism of the second half of the 17th century. adopted the urban development achievements of the Renaissance and especially the Baroque, developing and applying them on a more grandiose scale.

In the 18th century, during the reign of Louis XV (1715-1774), the Rococo style developed in French architecture, as in other forms of art, which was a formal continuation of the pictorial trends of the Baroque. The originality of this style, close to baroque and elaborate in its forms, was manifested mainly in the interior decoration, which corresponded to the luxurious and wasteful life of the royal court. The state rooms acquired a more comfortable, but also more ornate character. In the architectural decoration of premises, mirrors and stucco decorations made of intricately curved lines, flower garlands, shells, etc. were widely used. This style was also greatly reflected in furniture. However, already in the middle of the 18th century there was a move away from the elaborate forms of Rococo towards greater rigor, simplicity and clarity. This period in France coincides with a broad social movement directed against the monarchical socio-political system and which received its resolution in the French bourgeois revolution of 1789. The second half of the 18th and the first third of the 19th centuries in France mark a new stage in the development of classicism and its wide spread in European countries.

CLASSICISM OF THE SECOND HALF OF THE XVIII century in many ways developed the principles of architecture of the previous century. However, the new bourgeois-rationalist ideals - simplicity and classical clarity of forms - are now understood as a symbol of a certain democratization of art, promoted within the framework of the bourgeois enlightenment. The relationship between architecture and nature is changing. Symmetry and axis, which remain the fundamental principles of composition, no longer have the same importance in the organization of the natural landscape. Increasingly, the French regular park is giving way to the so-called English park with a picturesque landscape composition imitating the natural landscape.

The architecture of buildings is becoming somewhat more humane and rational, although the huge urban scale still determines a broad ensemble approach to architectural tasks. The city with all its medieval buildings is considered as an object of architectural influence as a whole. Ideas for an architectural plan for the entire city are put forward; At the same time, the interests of transport, issues of sanitary improvement, location of trade and industrial facilities, and other economic issues begin to occupy a significant place. In work on new types of urban buildings, much attention is paid to multi-story residential buildings. Despite the fact that the practical implementation of these urban planning ideas was very limited, increased interest in the problems of the city influenced the formation of ensembles. In a large city, new ensembles try to include large spaces in their “sphere of influence” and often acquire an open character.

The largest and most characteristic architectural ensemble of French classicism of the 18th century - Place de la Concorde in Paris, created according to the project Ange-Jacques Gabriel (Ange-Jacque Gabriel(1698 - 1782) in the 50-60s of the 18th century, and received its final completion during the second half of the 18th - first half of the 19th century. The huge square serves as a distribution space on the banks of the Seine between the Tuileries Garden adjacent to the Louvre and the wide boulevards of the Champs Elysees. Pre-existing dry ditches served as the boundary of a rectangular area (dimensions 245 x 140 m). The “graphic” layout of the square with the help of dry ditches, balustrades, and sculptural groups bears the imprint of the planar layout of the Versailles Park. In contrast to the closed squares of Paris in the 17th century. (Place Vendôme, etc.), Place de la Concorde is an example of an open square, limited only on one side by two symmetrical buildings built by Gabriel, which formed a transverse axis passing through the square and the Rue Royale formed by them. The axis is fixed in the square by two fountains, and at the intersection of the main axes a monument to King Louis XV was erected, and later a high obelisk). The Champs Elysees, the Tuileries Garden, the space of the Seine and its embankments are, as it were, a continuation of this architectural ensemble, enormous in scope, in a direction perpendicular to the transverse axis.

Partial reconstruction of centers with the establishment of regular “royal squares” also covers other cities of France (Rennes, Reims, Rouen, etc.). The Royal Square in Nancy (Place Royalle de Nancy, 1722-1755) especially stands out. Urban planning theory is developing. In particular, it is worth noting the theoretical work on city squares by the architect Patt, who processed and published the results of the competition for Place Louis XV in Paris, held in the mid-18th century.

The space-planning development of buildings of French classicism of the 18th century cannot be conceived in isolation from the urban ensemble. The leading motif remains a large order that correlates well with the adjacent urban spaces. The constructive function is returned to the order; it is more often used in the form of porticoes and galleries, its scale is enlarged, covering the height of the entire main volume of the building. Theorist of French classicism M. A. Laugier M. A. fundamentally rejects the classical column where it really does not bear the load, and criticizes placing one order on top of another if it is really possible to get by with one support. Practical rationalism receives broad theoretical justification.

The development of theory has become a typical phenomenon in the art of France since the 17th century, since the establishment of the French Academy (1634), the formation of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture (1648) and the Academy of Architecture (1671). Particular attention in theory is paid to orders and proportions. Developing the doctrine of proportions Jacques Francois Blondel(1705-1774) - a French theorist of the second half of the 17th century, Laugier creates a whole system of logically substantiated proportions, based on the rationally meaningful principle of their absolute perfection. At the same time, in proportions, as in architecture in general, the element of rationality, based on speculatively derived mathematical rules of composition, is enhanced. Interest in the heritage of antiquity and the Renaissance is growing, and in specific examples of these eras they strive to see a logical confirmation of the principles put forward. The Roman Pantheon is often cited as an ideal example of the unity of utilitarian and artistic functions, and the most popular examples of Renaissance classics are the buildings of Palladio and Bramante, in particular the Tempietto. These samples are not only carefully studied, but also often serve as direct prototypes of the buildings being erected.

Built in the 1750s-1780s according to the design Jacques Germain Soufflot(Jacques-Germain Soufflot) (1713 - 1780) Church of St. Genevieve in Paris, which later became the national French Pantheon, one can see the return to the artistic ideal of antiquity and the most mature examples of the Renaissance inherent in this time. The composition, cruciform in plan, is distinguished by the consistency of the overall scheme, the balance of the architectural parts, and the clarity and clarity of construction. The portico goes back in its forms to the Roman to the Pantheon, a drum with a dome (span 21.5 meters) resembles a composition Tempietto. The main façade completes the vista of a short, straight street and serves as one of the most prominent architectural landmarks in Paris.

Interesting material illustrating the development of architectural thought in the second half of the 18th - early 19th centuries is the publication in Paris of competitive academic projects awarded the highest award (Grand prix). A common thread running through all these projects is reverence for antiquity. Endless colonnades, huge domes, repeated porticos, etc., speak, on the one hand, of a break with the aristocratic effeminacy of Rococo, on the other, of the flowering of a unique architectural romance, for the implementation of which, however, there was no basis in social reality.

The eve of the Great French Revolution (1789-94) gave rise in architecture to a desire for austere simplicity, a bold search for monumental geometricism, and a new, orderless architecture (C. N. Ledoux, E. L. Bullet, J. J. Lequeu). These searches (also marked by the influence of the architectural etchings of G.B. Piranesi) served as the starting point for the later phase of classicism - Empire style.

During the years of the revolution, almost no construction was carried out, but a large number of projects were born. The general tendency towards overcoming canonical forms and traditional classical schemes is determined.

Culturological thought, having gone through another round, ended in the same place. The painting of the revolutionary direction of French classicism is represented by the courageous drama of historical and portrait images of J. L. David. During the years of the empire of Napoleon I, magnificent representativeness in architecture increases (C. Percier, L. Fontaine, J. F. Chalgrin)

The international center of classicism of the 18th century - early 19th century was Rome, where the academic tradition dominated in art, with a combination of nobility of forms and cold, abstract idealization, not uncommon for academicism (German painter A. R. Mengs, Austrian landscape painter J. A. Koch, sculptors - Italian A. Canova, Dane B. Thorvaldsen).

In the 17th and early 18th centuries, classicism was formed in Dutch architecture- architect Jacob van Kampen(Jacob van Campen, 1595-165), which gave rise to a particularly restrained version of it. Cross-connections with French and Dutch classicism, as well as with the early Baroque, resulted in a short brilliant flowering classicism in Swedish architecture late 17th - early 18th century - architect Nicodemus Tessin the Younger(Nicodemus Tessin Younger 1654-1728).

In the middle of the 18th century, the principles of classicism were transformed in the spirit of Enlightenment aesthetics. In architecture, the appeal to “naturalness” put forward the requirement for constructive justification of order elements of the composition, in the interior - the development of a flexible layout for a comfortable residential building. The ideal setting for the house was the landscape of an “English” park. The rapid development of archaeological knowledge about Greek and Roman antiquity (excavations of Herculaneum, Pompeii, etc.) had a huge influence on the classicism of the 18th century; The works of I. I. Winkelman, I. V. Goethe, and F. Militsiya made their contribution to the theory of classicism. In French classicism of the 18th century, new architectural types were defined: an exquisitely intimate mansion, a ceremonial public building, an open city square.

In Russia classicism went through several stages in its development and reached an unprecedented scale during the reign of Catherine II, who considered herself an “enlightened monarch,” corresponded with Voltaire and supported the ideas of the French Enlightenment.

The ideas of significance, grandeur, and powerful pathos were close to the classical architecture of St. Petersburg.

MHC, 11th grade

Lesson #7

Classicism

D.Z.: Chapter 7, ?? (p.72-73), TV. assignments (p.73-75)

© A.I. Kolmakov

LESSON OBJECTIVES

• Introduce students with the characteristic features of classicism architecture and form an idea of ​​the ceremonial and official architecture of Versailles;
• Develop skill independently study the material and prepare it for presentation; continue to develop the ability to analyze a work of art;
• Bring up culture of perception of works of art.

CONCEPTS, IDEAS

• architect;
• classicism architecture;
• Louis Levo;
• Jules Hardouin-Mansart;
• André Le Nôtre;
• Grand Palace of Versailles;
• Charles Lebrun;
• Mirror Gallery;
• tapestry;
• landscape parks;
• Empire;
• neoclassicism;
• Church of Saint Genevieve

Testing students' knowledge

1 . What is the aesthetic program of the art of classicism? What are the connections and differences between the art of classicism and baroque?

2. What examples of Antiquity and the Renaissance did the art of classicism follow? What ideals of the past and why did he have to give up?

3. Why is Rococo considered the style of the aristocracy? What features of it corresponded to the tastes and moods of its time? Why was there no place in it for the expression of civic ideals? Why do you think the Rococo style reached its peak in the decorative and applied arts?

4. Compare the basic principles of Baroque and Rococo. Is it possible

5*. On what ideas of the Enlightenment was sentimentalism based? What are its main focuses? Is it right to consider sentimentalism within the framework of the great style of classicism?

Universal learning activities

• summarize and systematize knowledge   describe and analyze        prepare a correspondence excursion  carry out comparative analysis 
• summarize and systematize knowledge about the development paths and artistic principles of classicism architecture;
•  carry out comparative analysis architectural structures of classicism and baroque;
•  describe and analyze architectural monuments of classicism in the unity of form and content;
•  develop an individual creative project architectural structure in the traditions of classicism;
•  appreciate the value of creativity an individual architect in the history of Western European art;
•  list characteristics individual author's style;
•  talk about prominent Western European figures architecture of the era of classicism;
•  express your own reasoned opinions about the artistic merits of specific works of architecture from the era of classicism;
•  identify historical background the emergence of the Empire style in Western European art;
•  prepare a correspondence excursion on Versailles (architectural ensembles of Paris);
•  carry out comparative analysis interior design of Fontainebleau and the Mirror Gallery of Versailles;
•  establish associative connections between the works of classicism architecture and their pictorial interpretation in the works of A. N. Benois

LEARNING NEW MATERIAL

• "Fairytale Dream" of Versailles.

Lesson assignment. What is the significance of classicism in the architecture of Western Europe for World civilization and culture?

sub-questions

• "Fairytale Dream" of Versailles. Characteristic features of classicism architecture. Creation of a new type of palace ensemble. Versailles as a visible embodiment of the ceremonial official architecture of classicism.
• Architectural ensembles of Paris. Empire style The beginning of work on the redevelopment of Paris. Neoclassicism is a new stage in the development of classicism and its spread in European countries. Characteristic features of the Empire style (based on the example of famous architectural monuments)

On the issue of classicism

in the architecture of Western Europe

. . . Let's leave it to the Italians

Empty tinsel with its false gloss.

The most important thing is the meaning, but in order to get to it,

We'll have to overcome obstacles and paths,

Follow the designated path strictly:

Sometimes the mind has only one path...

You need to think about the meaning and only then write!

N. Boileau. Poetic art (Translation by E. L. Linetskaya)

This is how one of the main ideologists taught his contemporaries

classicist poet Nicolas Boileau (1636-1711). Strict rules

classicism was embodied in the tragedies of Corneille and Racine, the comedies of Moliere and the satires of La Fontaine, the music of Lully and the painting of Poussin, the architecture and decoration of palaces and ensembles of Paris...

On the issue of classicism

in the architecture of Western Europe

Classicism was most clearly manifested in works of architecture focused on the main achievements of ancient culture - the order system, strict symmetry, clear proportionality of the parts of the composition and their subordination to the overall plan .

"Strict style" of classicism architecture, it seemed, was intended to visually embody his ideal formula of “noble simplicity and calm grandeur.”

The architectural structures of classicism were dominated by simple and clear forms, calm harmony of proportions . Preference was given straight lines, unobtrusive decor, repeating the outline of the object . Affected everything simplicity and nobility of decoration, practicality and expediency .

On the issue of classicism

in the architecture of Western Europe

"Fairytale Dream"

Versailles.

Mark Twain, who visited Versailles in the mid-19th century, wrote:

“I scolded Louis XIV, who spent 200 million dollars on Versailles when people did not have enough for bread, but now I have forgiven him. It's incredibly beautiful! You look, stare and try to understand that you are on earth and not in the Gardens of Eden. And you are almost ready to believe that this is a hoax, just a fairytale dream.”

Indeed, the “fairytale dream” of Versailles still amazes today

the scale of the regular layout, the magnificent splendor of the facades and the brilliance of the decorative decoration of the interiors.

Palace and park of Versailles. General

view. 1666-1680

One hundred hectares of land in an extremely short time (1666-1680) were turned into a paradise intended for the French aristocracy.

"Fairytale Dream"

Versailles.

Louis Levo

Jules Hardouin-Mansart

In creating the architectural appearance of Versailles

architects participated Louis Levo (1612-1670),

Jules Hardouin-Mansart (1646-1708) and Andre Le Nôtre

(1613-1700). Over the years they have done a lot

rebuilt and changed its architecture, so

that at present it is a complex fusion of several architectural styles, preserving

characteristic features of classicism.

Andre Le Nôtre

"Fairytale Dream"

Versailles.

Versailles

Grand Palace

First decorated with rustication on the model of Italian palaces-palazzos of the era

Renaissance. On the second , front, are high

arched windows flanked by Ionic columns and pilasters. The building's crowning tier imparts monumentality to the appearance of the palace: it is shortened and ends with sculptural

groups. The rhythm of windows, pilasters and columns on the facade emphasizes

its classical severity and splendor.

Occupies a dominant position over the area. Facade (almost 500 m) is divided into a central part and two side wings - risalit and, giving it a special solemnity. 3 floors.

"Fairytale Dream"

Versailles.

Interiors of the Grand Palace of Versailles

Interiors The Great Palace is decorated in Baroque style: they abound in sculptural decorations, rich decor om in the form of gilded stucco and carvings, many mirrors and exquisite furniture. The walls and ceilings are covered with colored

marble slabs with clear geometric patterns: squares, rectangles and circles. Picturesque

panels and tapestries on mythological themes glorify the king

Louis XIV.

Massive bronze chandeliers with gilding complete the

impression of wealth and luxury.

"Fairytale Dream"

Versailles.

Palace of Versailles

The halls of the palace (their about 700 ) form infinite enfilades and are intended for ceremonial processions, magnificent celebrations and masquerade balls. In the largest main hall of the palace - Mirror gallery (length 73 m) - the search for new spatial and lighting effects is clearly demonstrated. The windows on one side of the hall corresponded with mirrors on the other. In sunlight or artificial light, four hundred mirrors created an exceptional spatial effect, conveying a magical play of reflections.

Mirror gallery

"Fairytale Dream"

Versailles.

Versailles Park

In vases (there were

near 150 thousand ) there were fresh flowers that changed like this

so that Versailles is in constant bloom at all times

of the year.

The decorative compositions amazed us with their ceremonial splendor Charles Lebrun (1619-1690) at Versailles and the Louvre. Proclaimed by him "method of depicting passions" which involved pompous praise of high-ranking persons, brought the artist dizzying success. In 1662 he became the king's first painter, and then director of the royal manufactory tapestry ov (hand-woven carpets, pictures, or trellis ) and the head of all decorative work at the Palace of Versailles.

"Fairytale Dream"

Versailles.

Pool n Latona.

Fountains of Versailles

palace 1689

No dancing, no sweet raspberries,

Le Nôtre and Jean Lully

In the gardens and dances of disorder

They couldn't stand it.

The yew trees froze, as if in a trance,

The bushes leveled the line,

And they curtsied

Memorized flowers.

V. Hugo

(Translation by E.L. Lipetskaya)

N.M. Karamzin (1766-1826), who visited Versailles in 1790, spoke about his impressions in "Letters of a Russian Traveler":“Enormousness, perfect harmony of parts, the action of the whole: this is what even a painter cannot depict with a brush! Let's go to the gardens, the creation of Le Nôtre, whose brave genius everywhere placed proud Art on the throne, and threw humble Nature, like a poor slave, at his feet... So, do not look for Nature in the gardens of Versailles; but here at every step Art captivates the eyes...”

Architectural

ensembles

Paris. Empire style

Place de la Concorde.

After the completion of the main construction work in Versailles, at the turn of the 17th-18th centuries, Lenotre launched active efforts to redevelop Paris. He carried out the breakdown a park A Tuileries, clearly fixing the central axis on the continuation of the longitudinal axis of the Louvre ensemble. After Le Nôtre, the Louvre was finally rebuilt, and Place de la Concorde .

The major axis of Paris gave a completely different interpretation of the city that met the requirements of greatness, grandeur and pomp. The composition of open urban spaces and the system of architecturally designed streets and squares became the determining factor in the planning of Paris.

Architectural

ensembles

Paris. Empire style

Second half of the 18th century. and the first third of the 19th century. in France mark a new stage in the development of classicism - neoclassicism - and its distribution in European countries.

After the French Revolution and the Patriotic War of 1812, new priorities appeared in urban planning, in tune with the spirit of their time.

They found their most striking expression in empire style e. It was characterized by the following features: ceremonial pathos of imperial grandeur, monumentality, appeal to art

Imperial Rome and Ancient Egypt, using attributes of Roman military history as the main decorative motifs .

Place de la Bastille.

Architectural

ensembles

Paris. Empire style

Style empire style became the personification of the political power and military glory of Napoleon, and served as a unique manifestation of his cult. The new ideology fully corresponded to the political interests and artistic tastes of the new time. Large architectural ensembles of open spaces were created everywhere

squares, wide streets and avenues, bridges, monuments and public buildings were erected, demonstrating imperial grandeur and power.

Versailles, Grand Palace

Architectural

ensembles

Paris. Empire style

Church of Saint Genevieve , erected J.J. Soufflot , has become Pantheon om - the resting place of the great people of France.

One of the most spectacular monuments of that time is the column

Great Army on Place Vendôme . Likened to the ancient Roman column of Trajan, it should have been, according to the architects' plans J. Gondoin and J. B. Leper , to express the spirit of the New Empire and Napoleon's thirst for greatness.

J. J. Soufflot. Church of Saint Genevieve (Pantheon). 1758-1790 Paris

Architectural

ensembles

Paris. Empire style

Vendôme

square.

Paris

The decor of palaces was often overloaded with military paraphernalia. The dominant motifs were contrasting color combinations and elements of Roman and Egyptian ornaments:

eagles, griffins, urns, wreaths, torches, grotesques. The Empire style manifested itself most clearly in the interiors of the imperial residences of the Louvre and Malmaison.

In the bright interior decoration of palaces and public buildings, solemnity and majestic pomp were especially highly valued.

Architectural

ensembles

Paris. Empire style

Interiors

Louvre

The era of Napoleon Bonaparte ended by 1815, and very soon he began to actively eradicate its ideology and tastes. From the Empire that disappeared like a dream, all that remained were works of art in the Empire style, clearly demonstrating its former greatness.

“I love power, but as an artist... I love it to extract sounds, chords, harmony from it.”

Peculiarities

classicism

in architecture

Late classicism – empire style - style in architecture, decorative, applied and fine arts of the first third of the 19th century in European countries, which completed the development of classicism

Peculiarities

classicism

in architecture

Rizalit (projection) - part of a building protruding beyond the main line of the facade

Bosquet (forest, grove) - a row of wall-forming, closely planted, evenly trimmed trees or shrubs

herms (tetrahedral pillars topped with a head or bust)

Peculiarities

classicism

in architecture

Desudeport (top)- a picturesque sculptural or carved composition of a decorative nature, located above the door and being an organic part of the interior

Pergola (canopy, extension) - a gazebo or structure consisting of arches or paired pillars placed one behind the other, connected at the top with a wooden sheathing, lined

climbing plants along the paths of parks and gardens.

Peculiarities

classicism

in architecture

Gazebo - round superstructure in the form of a pavilion or gazebo

Enfilade (string on a thread) - a series of rooms located sequentially one after another, the doorways of which are located on the same axis

Control questions

1. Why can Versailles be considered an outstanding work? Explain your answer.

2. How the urban planning ideas of classicism of the 18th century. found their practical embodiment in the architectural ensembles of Paris, for example the Place de la Concorde? What distinguishes it from the Italian baroque squares of Rome in the 17th century, for example Piazza del Popolo (see p. 74)?

3. What is the expression of the connection between Baroque and classicism architecture? What ideas did classicism inherit from Baroque?

4. What are the historical background for the emergence of the Empire style? What new ideas of his time did he strive to express in works of art? What artistic principles does he rely on?

Creative workshop

1 . Give your classmates a correspondence tour of Versailles. To prepare it, you can use video materials from the Internet. The parks of Versailles and Peterhof are often compared. What do you think are the grounds for such comparisons?

2. Try to compare the image of the “Ideal City” of the Renaissance with the classic ensembles of Paris (St. Petersburg or its suburbs).

3. Compare the design of the interior decoration (interiors) of the Francis 1 Gallery in Fontainebleau and the Gallery of Mirrors at Versailles.

4. Get acquainted with the paintings of the Russian artist A. N. Benois (1870-1960) from the series “Versailles. The King's Walk" (see p. 74). How do they convey the general atmosphere of the court life of the French king Louis XIV? Why can they be considered as unique paintings-symbols?

Topics of presentations, projects

• “The formation of classicism in French architecture of the 17th-18th centuries”;
• “Versailles as a model of harmony and beauty of the world”;
• “A walk through Versailles: the connection between the composition of the palace and the layout of the park”;
• “Masterpieces of Western European Classicism Architecture”;
• “Napoleonic Empire in the architecture of France”;
• “Versailles and Peterhof: comparative experience”;
• “Artistic discoveries in the architectural ensembles of Paris”;
• “The squares of Paris and the development of the principles of regular city planning”;
• “Clarity of composition and balance of volumes of the Cathedral of the Invalides in Paris”;
• “Place de la Concorde is a new stage in the development of urban planning ideas of classicism”;
• “The harsh expressiveness of the volumes and the sparse decor of the Church of Saint Genevieve (Pantheon) by J.J. Soufflot";
• “Features of classicism in the architecture of Western European countries;
• "Outstanding architects of Western European classicism."

• Today I found out...
• It was interesting…
• It was difficult…
• I learned…
• I was able...
• I was surprised...
• I wanted…

Literature:

• Programs for general education institutions. Danilova G.I. World artistic culture. – M.: Bustard, 2011
• Danilova, G.I. Art / MHC. 11th grade Basic level: textbook / G.I. Danilova. M.: Bustard, 2014.
• Moroz Irina Vasilievna, http://infourok.ru/prezentaciya_po_mhk_klassicizm_v_arhitekture_zapadnoy_evropy_11_klass-163619.htm

Classicism in the architecture of Western Europe

Let's leave it to the Italians

Empty tinsel with its false gloss.

The most important thing is the meaning, but in order to get to it,

We'll have to overcome obstacles and paths,

Follow the designated path strictly:

Sometimes the mind has only one path...

You need to think about the meaning and only then write!

N. Boileau. "Poetic Art".

Translation by V. Lipetskaya

This is how one of the main ideologists of classicism, the poet Nicolas Boileau (1636-1711), taught his contemporaries. The strict rules of classicism were embodied in the tragedies of Corneille and Racine, the comedies of Moliere and the satires of La Fontaine, the music of Lully and the painting of Poussin, the architecture and decoration of the palaces and ensembles of Paris...

Classicism was most clearly manifested in works of architecture focused on the best achievements of ancient culture - the order system, strict symmetry, clear proportionality of the parts of the composition and their subordination to the general concept. The “strict style” of classicism architecture, it seemed, was intended to visually embody its ideal formula of “noble simplicity and calm grandeur.” In the architectural structures of classicism, simple and clear forms and calm harmony of proportions dominated. Preference was given to straight lines and unobtrusive decor that followed the contours of the object. Simplicity and nobility of decoration, practicality and expediency were evident in everything.

Based on the ideas of Renaissance architects about the “ideal city,” the architects of classicism created a new type of grandiose palace and park ensemble, strictly subordinated to a single geometric plan. One of the outstanding architectural structures of this time was the residence of the French kings on the outskirts of Paris - the Palace of Versailles.

"Fairytale Dream" of Versailles

Mark Twain, who visited Versailles in the mid-19th century.

“I scolded Louis XIV, who spent 200 million dollars on Versailles when people did not have enough for bread, but now I have forgiven him. It's incredibly beautiful! You look, stare and try to understand that you are on earth, and not in the Gardens of Eden. And you are almost ready to believe that this is a hoax, just a fairy-tale dream.”

Indeed, the “fairy-tale dream” of Versailles still amazes today with the scale of its regular layout, the magnificent splendor of its facades and the brilliance of its decorative interiors. Versailles became the visible embodiment of the ceremonial official architecture of classicism, expressing the idea of ​​a rationally organized model of the world.

One hundred hectares of land in an extremely short time (1666-1680) were turned into a paradise intended for the French aristocracy. The architects Louis Levo (1612-1670), Jules Hardouin-Mansart (1646-1708) and Andre Le Nôtre(1613-1700). Over the course of a number of years, they rebuilt and changed a lot in its architecture, so that currently it is a complex fusion of several architectural layers, absorbing the characteristic features of classicism.

The center of Versailles is the Grand Palace, to which three converging access avenues lead. Situated on a certain hill, the palace occupies a dominant position over the area. Its creators divided the almost half-kilometer length of the facade into a central part and two side wings - risalit, which give it a special solemnity. The facade is represented by three floors. The first, serving as a massive base, is decorated with rustication following the example of Italian palaces-palazzos of the Renaissance. On the second, front, there are high arched windows, between which there are Ionic columns and pilasters. The tier crowning the building imparts a monumental appearance to the palace: it is shortened and ends with sculptural groups, giving the building a special elegance and lightness. The rhythm of windows, pilasters and columns on the facade emphasizes its classical severity and splendor. It is no coincidence that Moliere said about the Grand Palace of Versailles:

“The artistic decoration of the palace is so in harmony with the perfection that nature gives it that it can well be called a magic castle.”

The interiors of the Grand Palace are decorated in Baroque style: they are replete with sculptural decorations, rich decor in the form of gilded stucco moldings and carvings, many mirrors and exquisite furniture. The walls and ceilings are covered with colored marble slabs with clear geometric patterns: squares, rectangles and circles. Picturesque panels and tapestries on mythological themes glorify King Louis XIV. Massive bronze chandeliers with gilding complete the impression of wealth and luxury.

The halls of the palace (there are about 700 of them) form endless enfilades and are intended for ceremonial processions, magnificent celebrations and masquerade balls. In the largest formal hall of the palace, the Mirror Gallery (length 73 m), the search for new spatial and lighting effects was clearly demonstrated. The windows on one side of the hall corresponded with mirrors on the other. In sunlight or artificial lighting, four hundred mirrors created an exceptional spatial effect, conveying a magical play of reflections.

The decorative compositions of Charles Lebrun (1619-1690) in Versailles and the Louvre were striking in their ceremonial pomp. The “method of depicting passions” he proclaimed, which involved pompous praise of high-ranking persons, brought the artist dizzying success. In 1662, he became the king's first painter, and then the director of the royal tapestry manufactory (hand-woven carpet-pictures, or tapestries) and the head of all decorative work at the Palace of Versailles. In the Mirror Gallery of the palace, Lebrun painted

a gilded lampshade with many allegorical compositions on mythological themes, glorifying the reign of the “Sun King” Louis XIV. The piled-up pictorial allegories and attributes, bright colors and decorative effects of Baroque clearly contrasted with the architecture of classicism.

The king's bedroom is located in the central part of the palace and faces the rising sun. It was from here that there was a view of three highways diverging from one point, which symbolically reminded of the main focus of state power. From the balcony, the king could see all the beauty of Versailles Park. Its main creator, Andre Le Nôtre, managed to combine elements of architecture and landscape art. Unlike landscape (English) parks, which expressed the idea of ​​unity with nature, regular (French) parks subordinated nature to the will and plans of the artist. The Versailles Park amazes with its clarity and rational organization of space; its drawing was precisely verified by the architect using compasses and a ruler.

The alleys of the park are perceived as a continuation of the halls of the palace, each of them ends with a reservoir. Many pools have a regular geometric shape. In the pre-sunset hours, the smooth water mirrors reflect the rays of the sun and the bizarre shadows cast by bushes and trees trimmed in the shape of a cube, cone, cylinder or ball. The greenery forms either solid, impenetrable walls, or wide galleries, in artificial niches of which sculptural compositions, herms (tetrahedral pillars topped with a head or bust) and numerous vases with cascades of thin streams of water are placed. The allegorical plasticity of the fountains, made by famous masters, is intended to glorify the reign of the absolute monarch. The “Sun King” appeared in them either in the guise of the god Apollo or Neptune, riding out of the water in a chariot or resting among the nymphs in a cool grotto.

The smooth carpets of lawns amaze with their bright and variegated colors with intricate patterns of flowers. The vases (there were about 150 thousand of them) contained fresh flowers, which were changed in such a way that Versailles was in constant bloom at any time of the year. The paths of the park are sprinkled with colored sand. Some of them were lined with porcelain chips sparkling in the sun. All this splendor and lushness of nature was complemented by the smells of almond, jasmine, pomegranate and lemon, spreading from the greenhouses.

There was nature in this park

As if lifeless;

As if with a pompous sonnet,

We were fiddling with the grass there.

No dancing, no sweet raspberries,

Le Nôtre and Jean Lully

In the gardens and dances of disorder

They couldn't stand it.

The yew trees froze, as if in a trance,

The bushes leveled the line,

And they curtsied

Memorized flowers.

V. Hugo Translation by E. L. Lipetskaya

N. M. Karamzin (1766-1826), who visited Versailles in 1790, spoke about his impressions in “Letters of a Russian Traveler”:

“Enormousness, perfect harmony of parts, the action of the whole: this is what even a painter cannot depict with a brush!

Let's go to the gardens, the creation of Le Nôtre, whose brave genius everywhere placed proud Art on the throne, and threw humble Nature, like a poor slave, at his feet...

So, do not look for Nature in the gardens of Versailles; but here at every step Art captivates the eyes...”

Architectural ensembles of Paris. Empire style

After the completion of the main construction work in Versailles, at the turn of the 17th-18th centuries, Andre Le Nôtre began active work on the redevelopment of Paris. He carried out the layout of the Tuileries Park, clearly fixing the central axis on the continuation of the longitudinal axis of the Louvre ensemble. After Le Nôtre, the Louvre was finally rebuilt and the Place de la Concorde was created. The major axis of Paris gave a completely different interpretation of the city, meeting the requirements of greatness, grandeur and pomp. The composition of open urban spaces and the system of architecturally designed streets and squares became the determining factor in the planning of Paris. The clarity of the geometric pattern of streets and squares linked into a single whole will for many years become a criterion for assessing the perfection of the city plan and the skill of the city planner. Many cities around the world will subsequently experience the influence of the classic Parisian model.

A new understanding of the city as an object of architectural influence on humans finds clear expression in the work on urban ensembles. In the process of their construction, the main and fundamental principles of classicism urban planning were outlined - free development in space and an organic connection with the environment. Overcoming the chaos of urban development, architects sought to create ensembles designed for free and unobstructed views.

Renaissance dreams of creating an “ideal city” were embodied in the formation of a new type of square, the boundaries of which were no longer the facades of certain buildings, but the space of adjacent streets and neighborhoods, parks or gardens, and the river embankment. Architecture strives to connect in a certain ensemble unity not only buildings directly adjacent to each other, but also very distant points of the city.

Second half of the 18th century. and the first third of the 19th century. in France mark a new stage in the development of classicism and its spread in European countries - neoclassicism. After the Great French Revolution and the Patriotic War of 1812, new priorities appeared in urban planning, in tune with the spirit of their time. They found their most vivid expression in the Empire style. It was characterized by the following features: ceremonial pathos of imperial grandeur, monumentality, appeal to the art of imperial Rome and Ancient Egypt, and the use of attributes of Roman military history as the main decorative motifs.

The essence of the new artistic style was very accurately conveyed in the significant words of Napoleon Bonaparte:

“I love power, but as an artist... I love it in order to extract sounds, chords, harmony from it.”

Empire style became the personification of the political power and military glory of Napoleon, and served as a unique manifestation of his cult. The new ideology fully corresponded to the political interests and artistic tastes of the new time. Large architectural ensembles of open squares, wide streets and avenues were created everywhere, bridges, monuments and public buildings were erected, demonstrating the imperial grandeur and power of power.

For example, the Austerlitz Bridge commemorated Napoleon's great battle and was built from Bastille stones. At Place Carrousel was built triumphal arch in honor of the victory at Austerlitz. Two squares (Concord and Stars), located at a considerable distance from each other, were connected by architectural perspectives.

Church of Saint Genevieve, erected by J. J. Soufflot, became the Pantheon - the resting place of the great people of France. One of the most spectacular monuments of that time was the column of the Grand Army on Place Vendôme. Likened to the ancient Roman column of Trajan, it was supposed, according to the plans of the architects J. Gondoin and J. B. Leper, to express the spirit of the New Empire and the thirst for greatness of Napoleon.

In the bright interior decoration of palaces and public buildings, solemnity and stately pomp were especially highly valued; their decor was often overloaded with military paraphernalia. The dominant motifs were contrasting combinations of colors, elements of Roman and Egyptian ornaments: eagles, griffins, urns, wreaths, torches, grotesques. The Empire style manifested itself most clearly in the interiors of the imperial residences of the Louvre and Malmaison.

The era of Napoleon Bonaparte ended by 1815, and very soon they began to actively eradicate its ideology and tastes. From the “disappeared like a dream” Empire, all that remained were works of art in the Empire style, clearly demonstrating its former greatness.

Questions and tasks

1.Why can Versailles be considered an outstanding work?

How the urban planning ideas of 18th century classicism found their practical embodiment in the architectural ensembles of Paris, for example, Place de la Concorde? What distinguishes it from the Italian baroque squares of Rome in the 17th century, such as Piazza del Popolo (see p. 74)?

2. What is the expression of the connection between Baroque and classicism architecture? What ideas did classicism inherit from Baroque?

3. What are the historical background for the emergence of the Empire style? What new ideas of his time did he strive to express in works of art? What artistic principles does he rely on?

Creative workshop

1. Give your classmates a correspondence tour of Versailles. To prepare it, you can use video materials from the Internet. The parks of Versailles and Peterhof are often compared. What do you think are the grounds for such comparisons?

2. Try to compare the image of the “ideal city” of the Renaissance with the classicist ensembles of Paris (St. Petersburg or its suburbs).

3. Compare the design of the interior decoration (interiors) of the Francis I gallery in Fontainebleau and the Mirror Gallery of Versailles.

4. Get acquainted with the paintings of the Russian artist A. N. Benois (1870-1960) from the series “Versailles. The King's Walk" (see p. 74). How do they convey the general atmosphere of the court life of the French king Louis XIV? Why can they be considered as a kind of symbolic paintings?

Topics of projects, abstracts or messages

“The formation of classicism in French architecture of the 17th–18th centuries”; “Versailles as a model of harmony and beauty of the world”; “A walk through Versailles: the connection between the composition of the palace and the layout of the park”; “Masterpieces of Western European Classicism Architecture”; “Napoleonic Empire style in French architecture”; “Versailles and Peterhof: comparative experience”; “Artistic discoveries in the architectural ensembles of Paris”; “The squares of Paris and the development of the principles of regular city planning”; “Clarity of composition and balance of volumes of the Cathedral of the Invalides in Paris”; “Place de la Concorde is a new stage in the development of urban planning ideas of classicism”; “The harsh expressiveness of the volumes and the sparse decor of the Church of Saint Genevieve (Pantheon) by J. Soufflot”; “Features of classicism in the architecture of Western European countries”; "Outstanding architects of Western European classicism."

Books for further reading

Arkin D. E. Images of architecture and images of sculpture. M., 1990. Kantor A. M. et al. Art of the 18th century. M., 1977. (Small history of arts).

Classicism and Romanticism: Architecture. Sculpture. Painting. Drawing / ed. R. Toman. M., 2000.

Kozhina E. F. Art of France in the 18th century. L., 1971.

LenotreJ. Daily life of Versailles under the kings. M., 2003.

Miretskaya N.V., Miretskaya E.V., Shakirova I.P. Culture of the Enlightenment. M., 1996.

Watkin D. History of Western European architecture. M., 1999. Fedotova E.D. Napoleonic Empire style. M., 2008.

When preparing the material, the text of the textbook “World Artistic Culture. From the 18th century to the present” (Author G. I. Danilova).